''Giffordius'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of air-breathing

land snail A land snail is any of the numerous species of snail that live on land, as opposed to the sea snails and freshwater snails. ''Land snail'' is the common name for terrestrial gastropod mollusks that have shells (those without shells are known as ...

s, terrestrial

pulmonate Pulmonata or pulmonates, is an informal group (previously an order, and before that a subclass) of snails and slugs characterized by the ability to breathe air, by virtue of having a pallial lung instead of a gill, or gills. The group includ ...

gastropod The gastropods (), commonly known as snails and slugs, belong to a large taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda (). This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, from freshwater, and from land. T ...

mollusk Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is e ...

s in the family

Polygyridae Polygyridae is a family of air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Helicoidea. MolluscaBase eds. (2021). MolluscaBase. Polygyridae Pilsbry, 1895. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species a ...

. The two known species, found on Isla de Providencia (or Old Providence), were named after the early conservationist and politician, Gifford Pinchot and his wife, Cornelia, whose expedition discovered them. These snails are unusual among polygyrids in being

ovoviviparous Ovoviviparity, ovovivipary, ovivipary, or aplacental viviparity is a term used as a "bridging" form of reproduction between egg-laying oviparous and live-bearing viviparous reproduction. Ovoviviparous animals possess embryos that develop insi ...

rather than

oviparous Oviparous animals are animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive method of most fish, amphibians, most reptiles, and all pterosaurs, dinosaurs (including birds), and ...

.Pilsbry H. A. (1940). "Land Mollusca of North America (North of Mexico)". ''Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia'', Monograph 3, 1(2): 577.

Species

The genus ''Giffordius'' contains the following species: * '' Giffordius corneliae'' * ''

Giffordius pinchotii ''Giffordius'' is a genus of air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Polygyridae. The two known species, found on Isla de Providencia (or Old Providence), were named after the early conservationist and ...

References

Polygyridae {{Polygyridae-stub

Species

See also

References